Management Integrated From Concepts to Good Practice Case Study 5 The Lerma-Chapala River Basin, Mexico 41169 Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized
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Management
Integrated
Management
Integrated
From Concepts to Good Practice
Case Study 5
The Lerma-Chapala River Basin, Mexico
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Acknowledgments
This Briefing Note Series was prepared by Peter Mil-
lington, consultant, previously Director-General of the
New South Wales Department of Water Resources and
Commissioner on the Murray-Darling Basin Commission,
Australia; Douglas Olson, World Bank Principal Water
Resources Engineer and Task Manager for this Briefing
Note Series; and Shelley McMillan, World Bank Water
Resources Specialist.
Guy Alaerts (Lead Water Resources Specialist) and
Claudia Sadoff (Lead Economist) of the World Bank
provided valuable inputs.
The authors thank the following specialists for reviewing
the Notes: Bruce Hooper and Pieter Huisman (consul-
tants); Vahid Alavian, Inger Anderson, Rita Cestti Jean
Foerster, Nagaraja Harshadeep, Tracy Hart, Karin Kemper,
Barbara Miller, Salman Salman, Ashok Subramanian, and
Mei Xie (World Bank staff).
The authors are also deeply grateful to the Bank-Nether-
lands Water Partnership Program (BNWPP) for support-
ing the production of this Series.
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Name of Organization: Lerma-Chapala
River Basin Council
History of Establishment:
In April 1989, the federal government and the govern-
ments of the five states that share the basin formally
agreed to coordinate their efforts to carry out a Program
for Water Allocation among Users. Government agencies
then installed a Consultative Council for evaluation and
follow-up of all sub-programs and activities derived from
the basin program. This Council was a predecessor of
the current River Basin Council. Three years later, in
December 1992, the National Water Act, LAN (Ley de
Aguas Nacionales), was approved. The Act enforced the
creation of basin councils throughout Mexico to improve
institutional coordination and enhance relationships
among users and water institutions. The Lerma-Chapala
Basin Council was the first to be established, and was
launched in 1993.
1
2Figure 5.1. Lerma-Chapala-Santiago River Basin
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The Lerma-Chapala Basin includes parts of the states of
Mexico, Querétaro, Guanajuato, Jalisco, and Michoacán. The
basin is a tropical region with an area of 54,421km2. The
750 km-long River Lerma originates in Mexico’s central high
plateau at an altitude above 3,000 m above sea level (masl).
The river ends in Lake Chapala (1,510 masl), which is the larg-
est natural lake in Mexico, 77 km long and 23 km wide. The
maximum storage capacity of the lake is 8.13 km3 and the
surface area is about 110,000 ha (1,110 km2). The lake is also
rather shallow; its average depth is 7.2 m, with a maximum
of just 16m. The 547km-long River Santiago arises from Lake
Chapala and flows westward, finally reaching the Pacific
Ocean (see figure 5.1).
The total discharge of the River Lerma from its drainage
basin into Lake Chapala fluctuates around 1.5 billion m3/yr.
The discharge from this lake into the River Santiago is about
1 billion m3/yr. Approximately 5,135 million m3/year are
extracted for consumptive uses (including evaporation from
the lake). Mean annual run-off is 4,740 million m3.
11,300,000
The Gross Regional Product is approximately US$192 million.
Agriculture (maize, sorghum, wheat, barley, and garbanzo);
industries relating to agricultural and dairy produce, bev-
erages, pulp and paper, leather goods, petrochemical and
chemical products.
Area:
River Basin Flow:
Population:
Economy:
Main Economic Activities:
Basin Characteristics
4
1. Water Scarcity
In the 1980s, demand for water in the river basin out-
stripped replenishment capacity and the river basin
reached a condition known as closure. Conditions remain
critical. The water deficit is particularly severe in the
sub-regions of the Lerma system. Current estimates for
the aggregated deficit between available water and water
demand are between 1.6 and 1.8 billion m3/yr. The situation
is further aggravated by low efficiencies in water use. The
average estimated efficiency rate for the primary water-
using sector — agriculture — is only 45 percent, although
the great majority of the “losses” are recycled and there-
fore not “real” losses to the basin. The water deficit is be-
ing compensated through over-exploitation of groundwater
aquifers and lakes, which in turn leads to further degrada-
tion of the water resources base and the ecosystems.
2. Pollution
The degradation of water quality occurs throughout the
basin, causing public health problems and limiting water
availability, primarily due to eutrophication in the case of
the main water bodies. The Lerma-Chapala Basin is the
major recipient of municipal wastewater in Mexico, receiv-
ing approximately 48,000 tons of BOD per year. Currently
only about 30 percent of the municipal wastewater is being
treated. Based on data from the National Water Commission
(CNA), 52 percent of the surface water resources are consid-
ered to be highly contaminated, 39 percent are moderately
contaminated, and only 9 percent are of acceptable water
quality. In the upper and middle Lerma sub-basins, where
industry is the major water polluter, the highest levels of
pollution are reported.
3. Alterations to Lake Chapala
Lake Chapala has suffered severe degradation and signifi-
cant changes over the last three decades. The lake level has
been decreasing progressively because of the high water
deficit, which endangers the very existence of the lake.
According to environmental NGOs, the lake currently stands
at only 37 percent of its total volume. Water pollution in
the lake is also large and increasing due to discharges of
industrial wastewater, untreated domestic sewage, and
agricultural chemicals, mainly from the Lerma River, which
receives wastewaters along large sections of its course.
The erosion caused by deforestation and by changes in
land use across the Lerma Basin has led to an increased
flow of sediments into the lake. This, in turn, has increased
water turbidity, affecting the lake’s biological production. It
has also contributed to the loss of depth, which is already
quite serious due to the decreases in the amount of water
supplied by the Lerma River. The shallowness of the lake has
increased its water temperature, leading to higher evapora-
tion rates. Increasingly, large areas of the lake’s surface are
being invaded by water hyacinth. The water hyacinth limits
light penetration into the water and constrains the free
movement of boats, thus affecting fishing and recreational
activities. Although different studies catalogue the pollution
of the lake’s waters differently, it is acknowledged that the
presence of organic matter, detergents, heavy metals, and
pesticides has decreased fish stocks. (Some endemic spe-
cies, such as the popocha, are about to become extinct.) The
lake’s pollution also poses a threat to human health through
the consumption of contaminated fish and is an economic
challenge for the more than 2,000 local residents who still
depend on fishing for their livelihoods. Because of the large
accumlation of contaminants in the lake sediments, improv-
ing the lake’s water quality is a much bigger challenge than
just reducing the pollution inflow.
4. Alterations to the Basin Ecosystem
Land-based activities, urbanization, land degradation
including deforestation, the expansion of irrigated agricul-
ture together with unsustainable use of the basin’s water
resources and heavy pollution discharges have negatively
impacted the ecosystem’s health by altering the hydrologi-
cal balance of the basin.
Main Water Management Concerns:
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An integrated approach to management of the basin and
the coastal zone is called for to solve these problems.
There are two major challenges. The first is to incorporate
land-based environmental concerns into development
policies, plans, and programs for the Lerma-Chapala-San-
tiago Basin for the protection of the lake, the freshwater
courses, and its coastal zone. The second is to restore a
balance between resource utilization and protection by
removing significant amounts of water from productive
use and returning these to the river systems and by reduc-
ing pollution loads.
6Under the 1992 National Water Act (LAN, or Ley de Aguas Nacionales), river basin councils are fora where different fed-
eral, state, and private interests can get together and discuss water-related issues. These councils do not have execution
or operational responsibilities and are not responsible for financial resource allocation. The different state and federal
agencies, particularly CNA, are supposed to gear their programs to be in line with the deliberations of the councils.
In practice, this has not worked very well, and the new 2003 LAN purports to strengthen these councils and to better
align work programs of the different agencies with the council deliberations. The new law establishes basin organiza-
tions under CNA that have a degree of autonomy from the central administration and that are to directly carry out the
decisions of the councils. A new water financing system authorized under the law intends to align financing with council
decisions. The provisions of the new LAN have yet to be implemented.
The Lerma-Chapala River Basin Council is a participative organization with one voting member from each of the states
and one voting representative from each of the different types of water users. The federal agencies involved do not
have a vote.
Type of Organization:
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the quality of facilities and equipment used to provide
hydrological and meteorological data and to model and
analyze data.
3. Basin-wide Policies and Strategies
A River Basin Hydraulic Program, which defines the
objectives, strategies, and action lines for improving
the basin’s water sector, has been agreed upon with
CNA. Since 1991, a surface water distribution agreement
has been in force. It established mathematical rules for
water distribution and reservoir operation, in accordance
with users. Through extensive discussions, an umbrella
regulation has been agreed upon for each state in the
basin area with respect to groundwater allocation and
reduction of aquifer overexploitation. There is also a
River Basin Water Quality Program that specifies the
introduction of treatment facilities. This has required
significant time, participation, and investment from all
related parties, including the private sector, as well as
domestic and international credits.
4. Communication and Participation
The establishment of the Lerma-Chapala River Basin
Council has led to progress in building consensus for the
management of common water resources. However, deci-
sion making is still very centralized at the national level
(CNA). The new LAN includes provisions to strengthen
decision making at the river basin level, but this is yet to
be implemented. Participation in the Council’s activities
has been reasonably good and has included water users
(irrigation, municipal, industrial, recreation), state govern-
ments, and federal entities, in addition to CNA.
5. Monitoring and Assessing Sustainability
Efforts are being made by CNA and the Lerma-Chapala Ba-
sin Council to introduce effective systems for performance
evaluation and monitoring of the organization’s activities.
1. Conceptual and Institutional Issues
The Lerma-Chapala River Basin Council is a relatively new
basin organization; it has existed for only 11 years. It was
integrated by the Ministers of Agriculture and Hydraulic
Resources, Social Development, Health, Fisheries, Trea-
sury and Public Credit, Energy, Mines and State-owned In-
dustry, the Federation Comptroller General, the Directors
of Federal Electricity Commission, Mexican Oil (Pemex,
the state-owned oil company), and CNA, as well as all five
state governors and six representatives of different water
user sectors. It continues to ratify the technical working
group of the Consultative Council; within it, specialty
support groups were created. Water users have a General
Regional Assembly, work committees, and subcommittees
arranged by water use and state. Its structure is very
complex, as are the interests that drive each water use.
In every case, each committee elects its representatives.
In turn, the general assembly elects six water users who
will become council official members. Aquifer committees
have also been created where groundwater users partici-
pate and actions are undertaken to achieve rational and
efficient water use.
2. Systems for Water-related Data
A river basin inter-institutional information system has
been created. All members share costs and information.
Data on the hydrological cycle, water availability, water
costs, and water users is managed by the Lerma-Chapala
Information Center. Different systems engineering tools
such as simulation and optimization models are available
to help analyze different scenarios and to support deci-
sion making. The Council reaches the general public by
means of several periodicals.
The enforcement of water quality regulations in the basin
has been notably unsuccessful. This is largely attributed
to one major cause: the lack of reliable data. In addition,
the effects of floods – which are recurrent events in
the basin – could be substantially reduced by improving
8
According to the LAN, which states the legal basis for
the creation of the river basin councils, the tasks of the
organization are: “instances of coordination and orchestra-
tion between the three levels of government (federal, state
and municipal) and the representatives of water users,
better management of water bodies, the development of
hydraulic infrastructure and of the respective services, and
the preservation of the basin’s resources.” Essentially, the
four main objectives of the Council are:
● Distribution of water among users according to
the water allocation policy
● Improvement of water quality by treating municipal
raw effluents
● Increasing water-use efficiency
● Conserving the river basin system.
The organization of the Lerma-Chapala River Basin Council
is presented in figure 5.2.
Tasks of the Organization and Staff Complement:
Figure 5.2. Organization of the Lerma-Chapala River Basin Council
River TurbioCommission
Cotas
QuerétaroQuerétaroAmazcalaHuimilpan
GuanajuatoCelaya
Laguna SecaLeón
Silao-RomitaIrapuato
Pénjamo-AbasoloSalvatierra-La
CuevitaRío Turbio
Acámbaro-CuitzeoMoroleón-Ciénega P.
Río Laja
BasinCommission of Lake Chapala
Governmental Groups
GuanajuatoJalisco
Mexico State MichoacánQuerétaro
Specialized GroupsProcurement
SanitationUse Efficiency
Soil and Water ConservationSustainable Development
TripartiteCommittee
Irrigation Districts 011, 087 and 085
Information Center
User Groups
IrrigationPotable Water
IndustrialAcuaculture Services
Fishing
Users Assembly
Users’ State Committees
President Director
General CNA
Technical Secretary
General Region
Monitoring and Evaluation GroupCNA, SEMARNAP, SEDESOL, SAGAR, CFE,